Common Name: Hot Creek Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus monfontanus
Family: Bufonidae – True Toad family
Locations: United States – Nevada
Size: 1.9 – 2.7 inches (50 – 69 mm)
The Hot Creek Toad is a new species to science. Once considered to be a population of the Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas), they were elevated to full species status in 2020. Like most toads, the Hot Creek Toad is nocturnal and fossorial. They are a small, brown to gray colored toad species. Their head is wider than they are long. Not much about its life history has been confirmed but its probably similar to the Western’s Toad.
During the winter months, the toad hibernates in underground burrows. Once spring arrives, the toads emerge and move to breeding sites.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Hot Creek Toad as Critically Endangered with Extinction. This is due to them having an incredibly small range, only being found in the Hot Creek Valley.